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White Ibis [laughing gull robbed it of its catch]
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Showing posts with label Ring-billed GULL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ring-billed GULL. Show all posts
§ Local Sightings...
Not much traveling around the county or on the islands this week. These photos were taken just minutes away from home...
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Linking tool is now closed. New one opens on Saturday at NOON [CST]
Top to bottom [with habitat maps]:
Linking tool is now closed. New one opens on Saturday at NOON [CST]
§ Back in March...
I'm behind in my photo shares this time around. I've been out and about a few days this week, but realize that I have pictures yet on the computer from the month of March. I've traversed the mudflats again at Mollie Beattie Community where they have the areas cordoned off for nesting to check for plovers. I also walked the channel that takes you out to the Gulf. Stopped one day at the Willows. It's been hot and muggy, so I'm not sticking around the areas for a long period, but I am seeing a few migrants here and there. I didn't get a chance to go to the island this past weekend 'cause the world famous Sandfest was taking place for the 3 day weekend...100s of 1000s people attend yearly. I'm really glad I decided to stick close to home, 'cause what I heard on the news, the bridge I use to cross the intercoastal highway [waterway] was at a standstill for HOURS!! An accident on the bridge [which is under construction, with one lane only] So, today, I will showcase my March images I captured while on my morning walks...
PURPLE MARTINS [female and male]
Habitat map: Martin
RING BILLED GULL
Habitat map: Gull
SCISSORTAIL FLYCATCHER
Habitat map: Flycatcher
BELTED KINGFISHER
Habitat map: Kingfisher
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§ Another Rare Occurence....
Please follow and take notice of my note in green text at the end of this series....
Another bird that is unique to our territory! In the past nearly two decades, I've only seen one American Robin. And that was northeast of Goose Island in the Wildlife Reserve near Tivoli Texas. This past week, however, I stopped at Paradise Pond in Port Aransas, and was witness to a flock of estimated fifty robins at a stopover to this area. I was elated since we used to associate the bird with Spring in Colorado. And their song brought joy to my heart. While there, I also saw grackles [they're everywhere], two warbler species, a phoebe, and either a flicker or a golden fronted woodpecker...that particular bird was just a fleeting glimpse, so really not positive on that ID.
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Habitat map: Warbler
AMERICAN ROBIN
Habitat map: Robin
I then stopped at another Refuge in the village to see literally dozens of White Pelicans, Laughing Gulls and Ring-billed gulls, stilts, a few white ibis, a couple of G B Herons, reddish egrets, snowy egrets, great egrets, one R Spoonbill, ONE alligator in the mud, ducks, teals, four common gallinules, and one yellow rumped warbler as I left...
RING BILLED GULL
Habitat Map: Gull
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN
Habitat map: Pelican
REDDISH EGRET
Habitat map: Egret
PLEASE NOTE: Next week, there will be NO posting here by me. I am taking the Christmas weekend off. Will see you in 2021!! January 2nd to be exact. Happy Holidays to all. And know your sharing and linking along with comments during 2020 have been MUCH appreciated. Stay Safe.
~Anni
Now, share your birding experiences:
§ On the Ponds and Along the Shore...
This will be a 'busy', heavy-with-photos blog today, so I'll just state that all these birds were viewed on one morning the first week of August at Port Aransas...Leonabelle Refuge, Paradise Pond, and the beach along the Gulf of Mexico. When I arrived just as the sun was rising, Leonabelle was most busy with great blue herons, cormorants, stilts, spoonbills [and a few ducks]. On my second stop for the day, Paradise Pond, the drying up pool was LOADED with white ibis and egrets! Literally dozens; each species! And the beach was occupied by terns, seagulls and sandpipers.
TRI-COLORED HERON
photos taken: Leonabelle Refuge
habitat map: Heron
GREAT BLUE HERON
photos taken: Leonabelle Refuge
habitat map: Heron
WESTERN SANDPIPER
photos taken: Magee Beach
habitat map: Sandpiper
RING BILLED SEAGULL
photo taken: Magee Beach
habitat map: Seagull
LESSER YELLOWLEGS
photo taken: Paradise Pond
habitat map: Yellowlegs
SNOWY EGRET
photo taken: Paradise Pond
habitat map: Egret
WHITE IBIS [immature]
photo taken: Paradise Pond
habitat map: Ibis
SNOWY EGRET
photo taken: Paradise Pond
habitat map: Egret
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§ Gulls Galore!
All the birders I have talked with around the coastline; about seagulls and the differences, I am still in the learning mode for the most part...since there are so many similarities in markings. But, as I say, I'm learning. And, more than likely it will take a bit MORE learning until I can easily identify them. I can see the differing traits/colors/hear calls of the Laughing Gull and the Herring Gull. Mainly 'cause they are the most abundant gulls seen here along the Gulf of Mexico. The Bonaparte's Gull [link to my photo] is easily identified also...they're tiny compared to most...and the spot marking around the jawline is a vital feature.
Now, a few days past, there were two RARE seagulls reported. Actually, I had seen one just the day BEFORE the sighting was reported on Ebird. The other one listed as seen nearby on Mustang Island was one I hoped to find. Well, when I arrived at the tidal pool along the jetty, it was feeding. And there were a few birders with cameras .... the gull was not bothered at all by our intrusion. In fact, it's a western coast seagull, and one birder mentioned that it had to be from Los Angeles!! Why? He said you could shoot in the air twice and it probably wouldn't budge. I thought it was funny. Guess not, 'cause he and I were the only two that laughed. Maybe the other birders have never been in the crime-ridden city before and didn't understand.
The Herring Gull:
HERRING GULL
photos taken: Ocean Drive - Oso Bay
habitat map: Herring
The Laughing Gull [immature]
LAUGHING GULL
photo taken: Port A
habitat map: Laughing
The Ring-Billed Gull
RING BILLED GULL
photo taken: Packery Channel Beach
habitat map: Ring Billed
A 'semi' rare gull, the Lesser Black Backed Gull
[usually found in the Atlantic coastal areas but in the past decades a FEW have been seen along the Texas coast.]
Dark, nearly black back with light, flesh-colored pink feet. Large
LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL or Great Black Backed Gull?
photos taken: Port A Jetty
habitat map: Lesser Black Backed
And, the RARE gull...
The Western Gull
[normally along the Pacific coast]
WESTERN GULL
photos taken: Port A Jetty
habitat map: Western Gull
...the last photo I took on purpose to make comparison of size...Laughing vs. Western
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